Sandy Alderson told reporters he was very impressed with d’Arnaud in big league camp.

“I know people talk about control and ‘Super Two’ and all of that. If John Buck gets hurt tomorrow, Travis d’Arnaud is the frontline catcher,” Alderson said.

D’Arnaud hit .343 with four doubles and four RBI in 35 at-bats over 16 games this spring.

The Mets also re-assigned Aaron Laffey, Andrew Brown, Brian Bixler and Jamie Hoffmann to minor league camp; and outrighted Brandon Hicks to the minor leagues, meaning he is no longer on the 40-man roster.

The Mets now have 36 players in Major League camp.

Michael Baron, Contributor

The Mets took a risk keeping d’Arnaud in big league camp within 15 days of Opening Day, because – had he gotten hurt and required a stint on the disabled list – the Mets would have been forced to place him on the Major League disabled list, at which point he’d earn Major League pay and service time.

As for the other roster cuts, considering the Mets cut both Hicks and Bixler, it’s safe to say Omar Quintanilla is going north with the Mets. Neither Bixler or Hicks did much defensively, and they didn’t hit enough to warrant a roster spot either. Laffey struggled today in Jupiter, but the Mets are trying to stretch him out so he can serve as an insurance for the starting rotation. Going to the minor leagues will allow him to get more innings, all while allowing the Major League pitchers to get the necessary reps they need before the start of the season.

Click here for rules about MLB service time, Super Two status, and arbitration...

Per MLB rules, a player accrues a full year of Major League service time if he spends 172 of the 182 days on the active roster or on the Major League disabled list. If a player is optioned to the minor leagues for 20 days or less, he is credited with big league service time as well.

A player becomes “Super Two” eligible if he is one of the top 22 percent of rookies called up in a season. If a player becomes eligible, he has four years of arbitration eligibility, the first coming after his second year.